Chapter 9

The next morning saw Hermione with red puffy eyes, stiff cheeks covered with dry tear tracks, and untamable hair. A long shower later and a few well placed charms disposed of any physical evidence left by the night. Half an hour later she sat slumped over her plate at breakfast, her hand moving automatically to feed herself. She stared into nothingness until an insistent tapping on her shoulder drew her back to reality.

Shaking off her cloak of self pity Hermione turned to face Lily. She idly wondered how long Lily had tried to get her attention.

"Yes, Lily?"

"I was afraid no one was home for a minute there. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's just peachy."

Sirius' voice cut into the conversation "Trouble in paradise, darling?"

"Paradise is overrated." Hermione snapped at him. She was in no mood for his incessant teasing.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Or was it that you woke up alone in your own bed, not someone else's?" He mused.

The resounding slap that emitted from Hermione's hand connecting with the side of Sirius' face captured the attention of every student and faculty member in the room. They watched enraptured at the scene unfolding before them.

"Don't you EVER say anything like that about me ever again, Sirius Black. Do you hear me? Never." Hermione said before turning on her heel and stalking out of the room with her head held high.

Lily debated going after Hermione but decided that it would be best if she were left alone for a while to cool off. What worried her was not the bright red hand print that had blossomed on Sirius' face but the tone in which Hermione had spoken. It had been dangerously quiet betraying no hint of emotion. As the professor took off points for the violent display the students turned back to their breakfast no one noticed the berating that Sirius received nor the predator that slipped out of the Great Hall to stalk his prey.

Hermione hurried off towards Moaning Myrtles lavatory, knowing it would provide the solitude she most desperately needed at that moment, even if she did have to put up with Myrtle's incessant moping. Hopefully if she ignored the ghost, Myrtle would get the hint and disappear into the u-bend.

Hermione became aware of a set of foot prints following her. Hoping against a nosy student, she pushed on knowing her haven was close by. The footsteps quickly matched hers and were getting ever louder. Soon she felt a hand grab her arm twisting her to face the perpetrator. She almost had to take a step back to glare into the steely eyes of none other than Lucius Malfoy.

His hand traveled down her arm before it came to a rest at her hand. Bowing mockingly over it he placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles.

"I do not believe we have met. Allow me to introduce myself. Lucius Malfoy, at your service."

Hermione raised an eyebrow and wondered just how much service he would actually provide. She gently removed her hand and replied "Hermione Grangié."

"That was a splendid show earlier. I'm glad you've finally come to your senses and left the little mudblood and her friends. If you would allow me, I would like to introduce you to some of my friends."

"Thank you Lucius, but you have misread my actions. My little mudblood friend and I are as close as ever. Now if you would excuse me, I have things I must attend to." She said coldly and moved to brush by him.

Within seconds he had her disarmed and pinned against the cold stone wall. She glanced down at her wand lying uselessly on the floor. She could only pray that someone would chance upon them before things got ugly.

"No one, especially a Gryffindor, says no to a Malfoy." He snarled. He shifted so that her legs were pinned in between his and the wall, leaving her without a shot at his family jewels. His hands were clamped around her wrists holding them stretched above her head.

"Well then, I guess I'm not just anyone then am I?" she replied while wriggling around trying to free either her hands or her legs.

"You know, I like it when you squirm. Listen up Grangié. You will do as I say. No one defies a Malfoy. If you even think about it, you'll wish you've never been born." He threatened.

Hermione immediately stopped struggling. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her fear. Her eyes widened as she felt his breath on her neck. He moved to ear and whispered in it before taking a little taste. It was then that her fear began to take over both her mind and body. The torches placed nearby on the wall were suddenly blown out by an unseen wind.

A flash of orange light emanated from her hands and spread to form a shield of dancing flames between her and Lucius. The flames leapt out and burned Lucius until he was forced to release her from his hold. In an instant Lucius had his wand out and hurled various hexes, all of which were absorbed by the flames.

Hermione smiled for the first time that day. Who needed wandless magic when you have Pyrokinesis? She walked over to her wand and picked it up from the floor. When she turned around to aim at Lucius he had gone. Apparently the idea of being scorched by the flames hadn't seemed very appealing to him.

Using little known passages Hermione managed to find her way back to a more populated area of the school, but before emerging into the crowds of student she had to do something about the shield. She doubted that Hogwarts population would really take seeing her body looking like it was being consumed by flames very well.

Hermione sat down on the cold stone floor and rested her back against the wall. She closed her eyes and willed the flames to die out, picturing her body without the flames. When she opened her eyes sweat had started to bead on her forehead. She wiped her face and was relieved to see that she appeared normal. She gave a triumphant grin and headed off towards her classes for the day.

The rest of the day passed normally with no incident. That is, if you don't count Remus pointedly ignoring her and Sirius seeming a little more than put off by her earlier actions. Dinner that evening was a lazy affair with Hermione sitting in between James and Lily with Peter, Remus, and Sirius sitting across from them.

Neither of the two boys had talked to Hermione but seemed to be chatting rather amiably to each other. Hermione sighed and reached across the table to grab a bun. Just as her hand closed around a bun Remus' hand shot out and grabbed hers. She looked up in surprise to find him pushing back the sleeve to her robe.

Her eyes widened when he exposed the bruises that encircled her wrist like a bracelet. She immediately tried to tug her hand out of his grasp and was unsuccessful. Sirius stood up and grabbed her other hand to reveal another bruise that stood out on her skin like a tattoo.

The Marauders and Lily all became silent, staring in shock at the remnants from the rendezvous between her and Lucius that morning.

"What the hell happened to you?!" was the first thing that came out of Remus' mouth.

Unfortunately for Hermione she wasn't all that great of a liar when put in the spotlight. Sure she had lied to McGonagall in her first year about the whole troll incident but she had had a clean track record and was easily one of her favorite students.

"Oh nothing important. I just slipped on the stairs earlier and someone grabbed my wrists to stop me from falling." She said as she glanced down at her plate.

"You're a horrible liar Hermione. What really happened?"

"That's the truth."

"Really? And I'm the Queen of England."

"Why can't you just leave well enough alone?" Hermione asked in a shaky voice. The day was beginning to catch up to her. The physical and emotional strain from both Lucius and Remus was beginning to take its toll.

"Because if someone hurt you, it's not well enough, you need to tell someone. What if they try it again?"

"I don't need your help Remus Lupin. I did fine on my own!"

"So then you're admitting to being harassed?"

"That's not what I said."

"No but you implied it."

"Oh just shut up and leave me alone!" Hermione cried before stomping off to relax in front of the warm fire in her rooms.

She had just about drifted off to sleep when she heard a knocking sound coming from her portrait. She grabbed a cover off of the back of the couch and wrapped it around herself before heading off to answer the portrait. The portrait revealed a shy looking Remus with his hand stuck in his pockets.

"Can I come in?" he asked in a soft voice.

"Sure." Hermione opened the portrait wider to allow him access to her common room. She quietly shut the door after him and returned to the warmth of her fire.

"I was hoping we could talk"

"What about?"

"Well about us for starters. Listen I'm really sorry about the way I acted last night. I thought about what you said, and I know there would be secrets but I want to give us another shot."

"What about when I leave?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Are you sure?"

Instead of answering he pulled her into a heart warming kiss. When he released her, she moved so that her head rested on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and sat there in content before bringing up his next subject of concern.

"Who gave you those bruises Hermione?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Of course it does!"

"Please just let it drop okay? I promise it won't happen again."

"How do you know that?"

"Just trust me."

Remus chose not to answer and sat in silence. When he next looked at the time he realized that it was time for him to leave. He noticed that Hermione had fallen asleep on him so he carefully picked her up and carried her to her rooms.

He pulled back the covers and gently settled her into bed. He paused a moment before he brushed a piece of hair from her face and placing a soft kiss on her forehead. He watched her smile in her sleep and murmured something that sounded eerily like Professor Lupin before heading off for the night into his own dorm room.

He passed the professor part off as a dream. It wasn't until he got into his own bed that he remembered that it wasn't the first time that she had called him that. The first thing that he had ever heard her say was her calling him Professor Lupin.

A/N: hey guys. Thanks for the reviews. It really makes my day. Feel free to read and review!